


One Man's Junk

by Anonymania



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-28 12:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19812322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymania/pseuds/Anonymania
Summary: One by oneThey died off.But I know better. Rumor has it, they're still out there. Either they escaped the islandOr they're lurking right under our noses.And with the folk going missing recentlyI'll let y'all place your bets.Mako has lived a lonely life on this island rumored to have once been completely underwater and inhabited by water creatures. When the local bartender is hospitalized after a trip to Outback lake, Mako decides he needs to go and check it out. Throughout the horrendous pollution of the lake, he is given several treasures, but one outshines the rest.





	1. LOCAL BARTENDER HOSPITALIZED AFTER "MAN-SHARK" ATTACK

_I trust ye all know the story 'bout how the island was once below? No? Then listen here, boys, 'cause you're fixin' to get the tellin' of a lifetime. Back in the day- and I mean way back- there's used to be nothing here. That's right. Nothing. Well, that's how it was appearing to be, I reckon. In reality ya had to take a look down below. There were people here. Just not in plain sight. They's hidin' in the water. Vicious mermen of the sea. They had perky noses, tongues long and glowing, and black eyes. Their fangs were always ready to sink into the poor creatures that found them. As the island rose, they were trapped in what became a lake. I guess they's ain't used to folk like us. The water changed. One by one They died off. But I know better. Rumor has it, they're still out there. Either they escaped the island Or they're lurking right under our noses. And with the folk going missing recently I'll let y'all place your bets._

* * *

**6:00 AM**

_Beep-_

A large hand fell upon the alarm clock before it even had a chance to ring twice. Two feet made their way to the dingy floor of the bathroom. A grim face appeared in the mirror, rough stubble and messy white hair falling in his face. He took the remaining hair out of its ponytail and fixed each strand back where it belonged on his head as he brushed his teeth. He had a long day to prepare for, even longer than the last. Soon enough, the large man stood at the door wearing proportionally large black boots and fishing attire. He opened the creaky door and exited to his truck, where he started the engine and drove. Country music played lightly on the radio, which he changed to metal music, the darkness of the lyrics matching the early morning fog. He pulled up to a small marketplace lined with vending machines and freezers. His rusted brakes squealed as he parked in the lineless parking lot. The ringing of the door bell echoed through the store, signaling his entrance, but it was met with near silence- the only noise being his heavy footsteps as he strolled up to the register. He slammed down his fist on the counter, startling the cashier awake.

"I have a gun! -Oh, it's you. You're, um, here for the fish, I take it?" The lanky cashier's voice cracked as he spoke. He was met with a nod. "Oh, okay, well alright. Let me just..." The cashier stood up and tripped over a bucket, causing a loud crash. "Well darn there goes- sorry. Mako, right? I'll be right back." Mako groaned in annoyance, causing the cashier to jump and hurrily go into a back room. Snickering came from the right of Mako.

_"Poor kid's already jittery cause of the water lurkers. Now this guy? Marvin really likes to put a load on his shoulders."_

_"Well when you have a kid like Alvin, ya got's to try and tough him up or he'll end up with one arm like Benny."_

_"They don't call him Wide-Eyed Alvin for nothin', after all..."_

Water lurkers? Benny only has one arm? Mako brushed it off. Stories of cryptids will always plague this island- he knew that- but the bogus stories going around could even manage to surprise a man like Mako with their stupid, unbacked claims of monsters in the dark and things that go bump in the night. Mako's judgment was interrupted with the cashier- Alvin- running back out with a bucket tightly in his arms. One would think the bucket weighed a hundred pounds with how he carried it and set it down (he practially dropped it) on the counter. Mako picked it up easily with one hand and slid the money to Alvin with a nod.

"You- you know, you's real lucky Marvin takes a liking to you. He wouldn't go out catching minnows for anybody else that I know of!" he said matter-of-factly. "I know. He's scared of me," Mako replied lowly, his deep voice scaring the daylights out of poor, Wide-Eyed Alvin, who gulped and shrunk behind the counter. "G'day, sir!" he called as Mako exited the store, signaled by two startled crows cawing and flying off past his truck.

_Poor Benny and his arm. Wonder what happened..._

As Mako sat in his truck, he opened the top of the bucket, revealing several minnows swimming around inside. He liked using them as bait for the trouts, but it was too much work getting them. The easy way was paying someone to do it. The easier way was scaring someone to do it. And who better to scare than Shaky-Hands Marvin and Wide-Eyed Alvin? Mako grunted contently and closed the bucket, shoving it in the passenger's seat floor, wedging it between whatever junk was down there. He started the truck and went off, the dense fog making it near impossible to see. Without headlights, it would be complete darkness. With the headlights, it was next-to-complete-darkness, but Mako would take what Mako could get. An hour (much longer thanks to the fog) passed of quiet metal playing and squinty-eyed driving passed before Mako got to his favorite fishing place. The fish he caught here were enough to get immediately approved and bought by the market, as well as feeding himself for a few days, which was a rarity some months. He exited the truck, lamp in hand and fishing pole in the other. Walking carefully to the dock, it wasn't until that moment that he felt he was missing something. On top of that, he had a weird feeling of dread. Something was coming and he was unprepared. He set down his pole and went back to the truck to grab some more equipment. Eventually he made his way to his boat and rowed out the lake a bit, mentally noting the direction of the dock. Only Mako Rutledge would be stubborn enough to fish on a day where the air itself was so dense one could hardly walk. Only Mako Rutledge was desperate enough to take that risk. Only Mako Rutledge would be indifferent enough to drive miles through it on wet offroads. Nothing got to this man, and here he was worrying about what he could possibly be unprepared for.

_What could have gotten to Benny?_

Hours passed and he hadn't gotten a single bite, which was strange in itself. He reeled in- or tried, anyways- just to discover that his line was snagged. He reached to his pocket for his multitool. His empty pocket. He let out a groan followed by a sigh. He had forgotten his multitool, which sucked, but at the same time it explained the feeling of unpreparedness. He used his own teeth to cut the line and rowed back to shore, which he had ended up drifting closer to anyways. He hadn't gotten a single bite, but the day wasn't over. He walked to his truck with his lantern and looked around for the tool, suddenly remembering inconvenient information. His home radio had broken and he used his (specially gifted) multitool to aid in its repair. He would drive to a store and get a cheap multitool, come back, and try again. He didn't have a choice. As a bonus, he could switch the tools out when he got home having a designated multitool for each destination. He gathered his items and got back in the truck.

_What happened to Benny?_

At the store he got in, bought a $6.99 multitool, and got out. He opened the package and threw it on the ground sticking the tool in his pocket. Now he would be on his way to money-making.

"Mako!" a fruity voice rang out, drawing Mako's attention to his left where an average built blond man sat, one hand in a wave.

"Harper," he greeted simply with a nod. Harper stood up and walked over to his apparent friend.

"You hear the news with ol Benny?"

"His arm?"

"Yeah, steer clear of Outback lake, his arm got bitten clear off. He'll be in the hospital for months. He's lucky that Oliver fella found him or he'd be dead now. They said it was a sea monster," Harper said with amazement.

"You know I don't buy that shit."

"Oh, I know, but ask Benny. He'd be sure to tell ya."

"I'm sure he would."

"Well alright. Going driving in this weather? Always were a roadhog."

"Stop bringing that up."

"Sheesh, alright, Mako. Safe driving. And don't go pokin' around. I know how rambunctious you can be!" Harper joked. Mako rolled his eyes.

"What was Benny doing at the Outback anyway?" Mako asked.

"So you are scared, then? I don't blame you. It's scary stu-"

"Answer the question."

"I dunno. Man's delusional, you know that. He says it was a man-shark calling to him. Probably meth." Mako nodded in agreement.

"It's always been right hard to tell with that guy. Talk about being a weirdo, that guy seals the deal. He's prolly even weirder than you and that stuffed animal you-"

"Shut up."

"Right, right. Can't go making fun of the big guy's stuffed onion or whatever it is. At least you're not claiming to have seen a half-man half-shark or whatever."

"I get it," Mako groaned.

"Right, course you do. Well anyways, see you around, big guy."

Mako rolled his eyes and left, feeling more annoyed leaving then he did coming, but also more concerned. He quickly dismissed it.

_So Benny got his arm bitten off. I don't believe it for a second. Folk here have a way of exaggerating. Especially when it comes to "water creatures." Catfish is what they were. Just catfish. Catfish don't remove limbs._

Back at his fishing spot, Mako was starting to feel more on edge with each passing minute. He took a crumbled newspaper out of his pocket and held the lantern to it.

> **LOCAL BARTENDER HOSPITALIZED AFTER "MAN-SHARK" ATTACK**
> 
> Local bartender Benjamin Miller of Nessie's Cove has been hospitalized after a trip to Outback Lake, located just 12 miles from his workplace. Miller had been out on a stroll to spot something interesting when he claims to have been attacked by a monster, resulting in him being life-flighted to Hendryville's Hospital. He arrived in critical condition due to blood loss but he is currently conscious and stable. We send our prayers out to Miller and his family in this time, but it does beg the question. Could this "monster" be the fabled water dwellers?  
>  "Hell if I know," says Oliver Michaelson, Miller's rescuer. "All I know is I found him with a big [bite] in his arm, blood spilling everywhere and his eyes were rolled back in his head. I thought he was dead until I heard his heartbeat." Emergency respondents say its a miracle he even lived long enough to get to the hospital.

_Bullshit._

Yet he couldn't dismiss it. Surely something had happened.

_I have to know._

Mako stopped in his tracks (he had been pacing rather than fishing) and mentally debated. He walked back to his truck and started it. He was going to go to the Outback Lake and see for himself. Again, another hour or so of driving in the fog. He'd never seen a day so foggy in his life. It was like a shield was in front of his eyes hiding the world from him.

He parked the truck and walked down towards the lake, boot crushing a can on the way. And another can. And a plastic bag. And something squishy? Trash surrounded him, making it difficult to walk. With each step, something else got crushed or smashed by his heavy boot, but he was not able to tell what he was stepping on. A dumpster was what this place as. A landfill, oversized trashcan, garbage disposal. Any of those words accurately described the surrounding area. To make matters worse, it was noon and it could easily be mistaken for midnight, though the humidity was accurate to the time. A putrid smell filled his nostrils and he remembered why no one came here. It was disgusting, and easily the most polluted place on the island. Oil, trash, and death made the unpleasant aroma surrounding the lake. So putrid, in fact, _Mako_ even thought _dear god, I need to go ba-_ He paused in his tracks.

**_"You! You've got to help me! Please!"_ **


	2. Arm and A Leg - And That's A Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mako helps out the strange voice and finds that the fish man is a bit more human that he expected. And way more human than he's been told.

"Please! I've got treasure! You can have some! It's gold! You have to help me out, mate!"

Mako was frozen.

"Hello? I know you can hear me, mate! Just get over here! Please, they're gonna kill me!"

The voice sounded like it was in his head.

It was practically screaming. "I can't die! You'll make so much money! I'll give you a 25% share!"

Like he had a bubble around his head and the voice was bouncing around the bubble.

"30? 40? 50! I'll give you half of it!"

Mako snapped out of it, looking into the water with his lantern raised. It was too dark to see, but one thing stuck out. Two amber eyes full of fear cut through the fog. Noises of splashing, distant yelling, and the screeching of the miserable creature before him filled his head, but all he could do it stare at those eyes.

"Holy shit..."

"Yeah _holy shit_ get this hook out me gills! I can't breathe!" the creature shrieked. Mako leaned down, still bewildered, bringing his lamp to the creature's face. Slick black hair covered its ashy forehead above two bright eyes. Spots covered his face, interrupted by the occasional scar.  
"Me. GILLS. MATE!" it yelled again into Mako's face. Mako blinked hard and looked at the creatures neck. Thin gills were pierced by a large fishing hook, spurting blood and twitching disgustingly. Mako reached forward, but jerked his hand back as he heard a not-so-distant noise.   
"That's them! They're gonna kill me, mate! You gotta hurry!"  
Mako took the hook in one hand, setting down the lamp to free his other hand, carefully removing it from the frail gills. The creature yelled in pain as the gills tore, but didn't seem to take out the pain with violence.  
"Alright, mate, I can't believe-- Look I can't get the ropes and nets off me! I've only got but one arm can you-" He was interrupted by Mako pulling out his multitool, opening it to the knife and reaching forward, whispering things in disbelief.

"It went thatta way!" The words were now much clearer to their ears. Mako had to work fast.

"I knows because me's new fishin' goggles!" Mako sawed the rope with his knife.

"Yer goggles are a load of bullshit, Oliver!" Mako's hands were slick and sweaty.

"Are not!" The knife wasn't cutting.

"Would you two shut up already?" Why wasn't the knife cutting?

**SNAP**

_"Fuck!"_ Mako groaned, throwing down the broken multitool. "No, no, no! You can't leave! Please, I can't live with this on me!"

"It won't be biting no more whens we rip out its teeth!" He had to act fast.

"I'll be back for you."

Quick footsteps in the night.

"There! What's that light?" He had to get out of here.

"Come back here!" "No, look! The water!" "It's rippling!" "It's that damned fish!"

He was running away.

He heard a bang. A gunshot. Then two, then three, then four, bursting into the water. Mako started the engine. He knew who those three were. Oliver... he knew he recognized the name. Benjamin's mates. God knows what they would've done if they thought Mako was stealing their catch. Mako drove off in the thickness of the fog, a mixture of lake water, sweat, and rain trickling down his forehead.

* * *

" _What the hell_ was that?" Mako stared at his ceiling. He was in bed, but not sleeping. No, he couldn't, not after what he saw. Surely that creature wasn't real and, if it was, couldn't have taken off a man's arm. Sure, he saw its teeth. They were sharp and ragged like a wolf. Or like a pirahna, he figured, which was more suiting.

_But if you still don't believe in 'em, that's fine by me. I'll be sittin' here waitin' for you to come back with a smile big and wide and a bag of cash slung o'er your shoulder as you stroll in here tellin' us how you returned all those kids to their parents. 'Till then, I'm tellin' ya, they're right under our noses, and I'm gonna be the first to prove it._

Mako remembered Benjamin's story that night. I guess he proved us all wrong, huh? His heart sank. Whatever creature he saw wasn't what Benjamin told him about. His eyes were bright and scared, and his teeth belonged to a mouth that expressed genuine terror.   
He pinched himself for the dozenth time that night. Not dreaming, not sleeping, not imagining. What he saw was real, but how? How?  
He was going to go back the next morning and see for himself. He needed to see with his own two eyes, unclouded by adrenaline and fog. He was going to see a fucking mermaid.

_So you're telling me you think a fish took all them kids?_   
_You got any better leads?_   
_You're delusional._   
_I'm right, and I'll make sure you know that if it's the last thing I do._   
_And I'll be there referring you to a shrink._

_If I gotta give an arm and a leg to put this creature to rest, that's what I'll do, Harper._

  
**Guess he's halfway there, huh?**

It was one in the morning; the sun hadn't even risen and the birds were yet to chirp, but Mako couldn't sleep. He grabbed a hunting rifle from under his bed and the special multitool from his kitchen counter and trudged out to the truck. He had to go see; there was no wayhe could wait until daylight. Luckily, the fog had finally cleared up a bit, so his headlights were providing some form of usefulness as he drove. Drove to Outback lake to see if some shark-man-thing was still alive. He laughed out loud at the thought.

"Insane." That's what he always called Benjamin. Insane. Who was insane now?

Mako switched on the radio as he drove.  
When he arrived he almost regretted it. What exactly was he looking for here? Yes, a merman, but if it was dead then he'd have to live with the knowledge that no one will ever believe (except Benny). If it was alive hen he'd have to live with the knowledge and...well then what? Was he going to talk to it? Guess I'll find out, he thought as he stepped out of the truck, his rifle in one hand and lantern in the other. He stopped and listened. Silence. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad. On one hand, it meant Benny's mates were gone. On the other...  
He walked to the water and kneeled down, his lantern still raised above his head to grant him more vision in the musty night. Now what? Wasn't exactly like he knew how to speak fish or anything. Even better, it wasn't like he had a mermaid call on him.

"Hello?" was the best he could come up with. After a few minutes of stillness, he picked up a rock and threw it into the water, hoping if something was in there, that would get its attention. Sure enough, two glowing amber eyes emerged, at first worried but then filled with relief as it recognized the large figure illuminated by the light.  
"Oi mate, glad you're back. Managed to wriggle it off a bit. Don't suppose you've got a sturdier knife?"  
Mako just stared again. It was those eyes. Bright and... glowing. Literally. It was incredible to witness.  
"Er... 'ello?" the fish man called. Mako blinked. Right. Without words, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver tool, taking out the knife bit.  
"Ah, thank goodness. Would you mind?" the merman asked, swimming forth and getting just within Mako's reach to cut the ropes. While it took a deal of effort, it wasn't nearly as hard or stressful as earlier. When the net was released, he immediately stretched out his only arm with delight.  
"Not gonna lie, mate, I didn't think you'd actually be back."  
"I didn't think you'd be alive," Mako responded, just staring with awe (though his facial expression didn't make his fascination visible) . The merman looked uncomfortable and backed away, as if realizing he shouldn't be too close.  
"Thanks, mate."  
"You're welcome."  
The mermaid dived back under the water with a splash, and Mako stood up, assuming that was it. No more merman interaction. He'll have to live with that memory forever, but the mermaid resurfaced.  
"Don't you go anywhere! Not- not yet. I'll be right back, just hold yer horses."  
Mako sat back down and waited. Within a minute, he was back, something in his hand.  
"Here. It's what I promised, is it not? Er....." Mako stared at the fish blankly.   
"Ya got a name, mate?"   
"Mako." The mermaid smiled, large and chaotic, and handed Mako the... what was it? Mako stared at it, bringing the light closer. Though it was a bit dulled, he could tell by the clunkiness that this was real metal- gold. He looked back at the fish, who had put a good bit of distance between them; Mako was definitely out of arm's reach.  
"You're not going to hurt me, right? Surely not," the fish man laughed awkwardly.  
"No."  
"Promise, Mako?" Jamie said sheepishly.  
"You got a name?" Mako asked.  
"Jamie."  
"Promise, Jamie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Benjamin is the one telling the side story, hm? Interesting.


	3. Injuries As Big As Jamie's Ego

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jamie swallows his pride and lets Mako fix him up a little. A little. That's it. Just a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a filler to show a small bit of trust development between them. But there is a small subplot that isn't the most obvious thing I've written so far.

There had been a good bit of awkward silence between them, with Mako just staring and Jamie looking nervously around them.  
"Look, mate, I appreciate your fascination, I really do, but ya gotta at least say somethin'!" Jamie finally said. Mako sighed.  
"Why were they after you?" he asked, already knowing the answer.  
"Well, it could be that they thought I was charming and wanted to befriend me, or the fact that I'm a horrendous water beast and they're a buncha fishermen. Take yer pick," the fish replied sarcastically. "I'm not hurting you."  
"Yeah? What's that got to do with anything? You a fisherman too?" Mako grunted in affirmation.  
"Well, then mate, I'm afraid I don't have an answer."

More silence.  
"Did they hurt you?" Mako had to ask. Jamie laughed.  
"Well, no, the net was an accident. Was scared about what was in me gills and ran right into the bloody thing," the fish giggled maniacally. "Thought I was gonna die!" Jamie exclaimed, jerking his body backward in the water. Mako called bullshit. He had been watching- he knew. Jamie was hurt somewhere and every time he moved, he flinched. Sure, it could be that he's a bit erratic and even skittish, but that made Mako pay even more attention to the fish's eyes. With each flinch, Jamie grimaced.  
"You're hurt."  
"Am not! I done told ya! What's it to you anyways? Gonna get me wound close and take the opportunity to rip me scales off?" Jamie replied defensively, his demeanor shifting completely. More silence. "No."  
"I know. But it's nonna yer business anyways. You got some gold, why ya still here?" Jamie snapped.  
"I couldn't believe it. I had to see again for myself."  
"Well you'd better believe it, darl, I'm real all right!" Black, oily hair fell into his face, but it was barely visible in the darkness.  
"Did you take the arm off of Benjamin?"  
"Benja-who? I dunno who that is, mate. Didn't do any taking-arms-off recently. Haven't done that in years, actually!" he joked and gestured to his arm, the one cut off at the elbow. Mako sighed and shook his head, resisting the urge to face-palm. He looked back at the mermaid, who had slowly gotten further out into the water. Even if only a yard away, the distance felt weird to Mako.  
"Those men thought you attacked their friend. That's why they were after you."  
"Oh, attacked? Well now you're ringing a bell. Though the attackin was the other way around. Bloody fucker fired a harpoon at me!"  
"So you did take his arm off?"  
"What? No, I'm a little crazy, sure, but I'm not a psycho! A little nibble on the fingers, that's all. Got the scar to prove it! Well, it'll be a scar eventually." He gestured to the thin gash on his face, already scabbed over.

As annoying as the mermaid was, he was oddly endearing. He was clearly distrusting of the much larger male, but he was just as much curious as he was wary. His bright eyes scanned Mako constantly, if not distracted by scanning the area around them.  
"Do you want me to leave?" Mako asked, seeing Jamie's obvious discomfort.  
"What? Where'd you get that idea? I mean, if you need to go, I can't stop you, but you're fine by me staying right there. Oi, don'tcha need sleep er somethin?"  
"I'm not tired."  
"Well then, mate, I don't reckon I mind the extra eyes out. You could be a bodyguard, y'know? Built like one. Say, why don't you put in some effort in keeping them bags of oysters away from me and I can throw in more of this... let's call it treasure." Mako remained silent, following the silence with a mere shrug. Mako had forgotten about Jamie's "50%" promise from earlier. Not that he really cared in the first place. He had been more concerned about the creature in front of him.  
"Fine by me," Jamie responded and drifted in the water on his back.

Mako eventually managed to fall asleep, despite the yappy mermaid babbling about nothing in particular, but everything at once. Though he didn't sleep for long, when he opened his eyes, the sun was mostly up- about 9 AM. It took him a hot minute to figure out where he was, then how, then why, but when he remembered, he scanned the lake for any sign of the merman from before. There was nothing but still, groggy water. His stomach rumbled. Right, food was a thing people had to eat. Luckily, being a fisherman, he was prepared for this sort of thing. He hobbled to his truck and opened the glove box in front of the passenger's seat, taking out a few cereal bars and a mini bottle of water. He would have just eaten in the truck, but he felt almost obligated to stay as close to the lake as possible. Trudging tiredly back to the lake, he got an idea and finished his sad excuse for a breakfast. He grabbed a nearby tire and what looked like... a microwave? And placed them side by side, taking a seat on the edge of the tire and placing his water on the microwave. He had time- certainly he could stay until the creature came back. It wasn't long before Jamie popped his head up above the water, his eyes much darker in the daylight.  
"Oi! There you are! Was worryin' you would never get up!" Jamie exclaimed with relief, giggling.  
"Let me see your gills," Mako said plainly, skipping the pleasantries.  
"Wh---what? No.. Why? There's nothing wrong with em!"  
"They tore. Can I see them?" Mako asked, much to Jamie's annoyance. The fish contemplated.  
"Well... you did promise. But if you pull anything on me, I'll have your arm ripped off!"  
"Understood," Mako replied simply, scooting towards the water and kneeling down. Jamie dragged himself partly out of the water, just close enough for Mako to see. He didn't quite expect Mako to reach his hand out to it, so he jumped a bit when he did so. When Mako recoiled, it eased him, so he calmed down and awkwardly sat there as Mako's large fingers gently observed his wounded gills. "It's not as bad as I worried. Should've been more gentle," Mako stated, his eyes drifting to Jamie's back and to a particularly puffy wound.  
"You were shot."  
"It only grazed me! No worries," Jamie said, trying to slip back into the water.  
"Let me see," Mako interrupted, grabbing the fish's arm gently but demandingly.  
"You got it, mate but the water-" Mako let his arm go and he got back into the water.  
"You can't breathe above water?" Mako asked.  
"I can sorta, yeah, but if me gills get dry then it's over," Jamie shivered in disgust, "just like breathing in dust." Mako nodded and drank the rest of his water and filled it with the lake's murky water, gesturing for Jamie to come back. He did, of course, back facing Mako so he could see. It wasn't too deep, really, and it was clear that the bullet had only grazed along his back, though he couldn't imagine the wound was comfortable in any way- especially due to the location and size of it. Jamie tapped Mako's knee, so he uncapped the bottle and poured it on the fish's neck, the water lubricating both side of his thin gills. Bringing his attention back to the shot wound, Mako gently touched it with his thumb, earning a shriek from the merman.  
"Watch it, mate! Talk about bein' more gentle then go shoving yer icky fingers in a cut!"  
"It's filthy."  
"Oi, watch your tongue!" Jamie was back into the water. "I keep as clean as a...as... as a somethin'. It ain't anya business."  
"Let me clean it out."  
"No! I ain't need cleaned!"  
"It'll get infected."  
"So? I don't need your grubby hands on it- ow fuck!" Jamie cried, clearly having moved the wrong way. Mako just watched silently.  
"Oh alright! Just... be quick and don't go stickin your fingers all over it. That hurts, you know!"  
"I'll be right back." And back to the truck he trudged, returning shortly with a small, dingy first aid kit.

Jamie crawled back to the shallow part of the water and Mako sat down, handing the water bottle to Jamie for convenience. The merman fiddled with the bottle nervously. Mako used a wet wipe to clean some of the grime from it, then opened an alcohol pad.  
"It might sting, might not," Mako said and gently dabbed the pad onto the wound, earning a quiet hiss from Jamie. Water dripped back onto the wound from Jamie's neck, which he had dumped more water on and was currently refilling the bottle. Mako brought his hand to Jamie's shoulder, tracing over a small but prominent scar there. Curiosity overwhelmed him; there was just so much to this creature. And yet Jamie was surprisingly quiet. He was afraid if he spoke, he might startle Mako and get injured as a result, plus, it wasn't exactly comfortable trying to speak above water. He looked back at Mako, who nodded, and he slipped back into the deeper part of the lake, now less wary about the distance between them.  
"Thanks, mate. I feel like I'm in tip-top condition already," he lied, but hey, it was the least he could do to show Mako his appreciation. He was extremely appreciative, but wasn't sure how to go about expressing it to the large man, just stumbling over words and spilling out sentences whether they made sense or not.

_Crunch_

Mako turned his head towards the noise behind them. Nothing there. Despite that, Jamie still didn't hesitate diving back underwater, only about a foot down.  
"Nothing there." Jamie resurfaced.  
"Right... course not. That'd be ridiculous." Jamie was visibly shaken. Mako reached out a hand, much to Jamie's confusion.  
"Let me see your hand." Jamie cocked his head to the side.  
"Why? It's definitely not hurt or anything..."  
"I know."  
"Well, alright, I guess," Jamie complied, dragging himself back up into the shallow water and letting Mako take his hand. It was much bigger than his own- that was obvious. Also much rougher as it messed with his fingers and inspected the webs in-between them. The claws where a different story. As rough as Mako's hands were, the claws could still very easily cut through his skin. Mako fumbled the fish's hand around in his own, examining each and every spot, particularly focused on the slimy fins.  
"Mate..."  
"Right." Mako uncapped the water again and moistened his gills.  
"Thanks. Now that's refreshing. Nice, fresh water right into the system." And out(?) through a second set of gills on the fish's hips.

"I'm going home," Mako stated, making Jamie jerk his head that way. Sure, he was expecting that Mako would leave, duh, but he wasn't expecting to feel immediately so sad about it.  
"Well, it was nice knowin ya! If you want to take me up on that-"  
"I'm going to come back."  
"Oh... Well alright then--"  
"Tomorrow."  
"Oh, would you quit that! Cuttin' off my goodbye!" Jamie slipped back into the water for the hundredth time.  
"It was nice seein you, mate. Thanks for... well, you already know." Mako silently trudged back to his truck and went home, leaving poor Jamie all alone again.

Even though Mako was gone, Jamie stayed in the shallow water making piles with the nearby trash as if he was waiting on Mako to just stroll back up with something he had to get from his truck. He'd forgotten what it was like to recognize loneliness and now he was facing it all, well, alone. He sighed and sunk deeper into the lake, staring at the rays of light reaching to the middle of the lake.

 _Surely he's lonely_ , Mako thought. He would keep visiting him. He was lonely too, after all. The fish talked a lot, sure, but it made up for his silence and he liked that. Mako went back to his lake and fished for the rest of the evening, this time having much better luck with his catches.

_"So Benjamin isn't crazy after all...My god, I can't believe it..."_


End file.
